Intro:Through events in life that trigger change the responder is challenged to accept that knowledge is gained through change, and that change helps the development of a persons identity. The texts ‘’Looking for Alibrandi’’ by Melina Marchette and ‘’The Memory Keepers Daughter’’ by Kim Edwards both challenge the responder to enhance their understanding of change. Both Marchette and Edwards’s use several narrative techniques to convey change and effectively show the life challenges faced that develop a persons identity. PAC what/ technique 1:

Melina Marchetta’s novel ‘‘Looking for Alibrandi’’ was written in a time of multicultural integration. It explores issues facing young adults and is intended for this age group. The first person narration is used to invite the reader into Josie’s personal thought space, and conveys her feelings as she changes. At the start we see Josie as a immature teenager who looked at everything being a burden upon her, ‘’ I could write a book about my problems’’, as the story goes on Josie’s perspective on her life and what matters changes through experience. ‘’Things that worried me a few months ago no longer worry me as much’’. The intimate diary like feel the reader gets through first person narration challenges the responder to develop along with Josie and observe the knowledge gained, and increased sense of identity she feels. Technique 2:

The linear structure is another technique used to explore change in ‘’Looking for Alibrandi’’, which greatly contributes, to her new transformation and sense of identity. It immediately gives a strong sense of continuity in the storyline and has a solid episodic feel and it is relayed by the shifting focus of Josie. Initially Josie’s attitude towards Michael Andretti is negative ‘’How dare you think I want to be in your life’’ as the story unfolds Josie goes through episodes of her life that give her the chance to grow and create a new opinion on the important people in her life....

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...In the Memory Keeper’s Daughter written by Kim Edward, the main character, David Henry, made a decision that has impacted not only his life but the rest of his family also. David was a very confusing character. Henry’s character played an important role because the decision of giving his daughter up changed his whole life and broke his family apart. When his wife went into labor he delivered the twin babies, Paul and Phoebe. When Phoebe entered the world he noticed she has defects in her face and hands that lead him to diagnose her with autism. He decided to give up his daughter, because he was afraid of what society would think and was afraid that an abnormal child would destroy his current family; just like his sister did during his childhood. Due to the result of giving up his daughter, one very major secret has stood in the middle of their family. Deception, secrets, and regrets have shaped the family and caused major problems throughout their life.
Almost everybody has done something that they have regretted later on in life. When Phoebe was first born, David makes a rational decision that he eventually regrets later in his life. Henry felt that having a child who suffered from Down’s Syndrome would ruin his family, because he witnessed it once with his sister during his childhood. He felt that by giving up his daughter, he was protecting his family. Later throughout life David...

...The MemoryKeepersDaughter
Racism in our society has been a character trait that many of us today still
wonder what must be going through people’s minds to think that they are better or it’s
okay to disrespect people who are not like themselves. We as people are in general very
bias even if you don’t mean to be, you can be bias to the types of foods that you prefer, or
to people who may or may not have mental illnesses. Truth be told know body is normal
or perfect each and every one of us have our flaws, insecurities and concerns. Racism has
been around for centuries way back to when the pharos of Egypt would look down to
anybody who wasn’t royal or was well respected like they where, to when the Europeans
started to set sail and discovered Africa and started to capture the Africans and sell them
for profit or make them work under hard conditions without any rewards or respect to
when Adolph Hitler though that anybody else that didn’t have blonde hair and blue eyes
also know as the Arian race where not meant to be on this earth and the only way to get
rid of them was to try and kill them all. Just like in “The MemoryKeepersDaughter” by
Kim Edwards when David Henry gave up his daughter Phoebe without letting his wife no
just because she had a disability and from his previous experiences with his very own...

...The MemoryKeepersDaughter
Almost everybody has done something that they have regretted later on in life. David Henry, a character in The MemoryKeepersDaughter by Kim Edwards, shows that sometimes the past can be too heavy of a burden to carry. Damaging not only ourselves but also the people around us. David grew up in West Virginia with parents who worked hard but struggled to put food on the table and a sister with Down syndrome. When his sister died his parents were so overwhelmed that they never got over it. They rarely left the house and they withdrew mentally and physically. David recognized this and never wanted to feel that pain again. He would do anything to never feel that pain.
Years later David’s traveling on the e icy roads taking his wife to the office to deliver her baby and hitting every red light on the way there. “This baby won’t wait, (13)”, Norah told husband, David. Everything went as good as could be expected, she gave birth to Paul a healthy little baby. Relieved it’s over David waits on the afterbirth. Only it’s not the afterbirth coming but another baby. A girl. A girl with Down syndrome. Knowing that it destroyed his parents David made an impossible decision. He tells the nurse to take the baby to a home for kids with her condition. “I’m trying to spare us all a terrible grief. (19)” thinking that the news would devastate his wife and he...

...QUESTION )
Tone – Adolescence – Adolescence is demonstrated throughout Melina Marchetta’s “Looking For Alibrandi” through the use of tone. Throughout the novel, tone is used to highlight the fact that Josie is only a teenager going on a journey towards her emancipation. In the quote “ its you and people like you. Worrying about what people think.” Josie is having yet another argument with her Nonna. At the beginning of the novel Josie is rude and disrespectful to her Nonna, however this slowly changes as the novel progresses. The contrast in Josie’s attitude is evident as it changes from immaturity and self-centeredness to maturity and reflectiveness, which is demonstrated through the quote “I don’t think that I could ever handle the quiet world she lived in.”. Tone, which is demonstrated through these quotes, along with the theme of adolescence allows the reader to see the inner journey and the progress of Josie’s attitude as the novel progresses, showing the reader Josie’s maturing side and Josie’s steps closer towards her emancipation as she passes her phase of being a typical teenager going through her adolescence, to reach a phase where she is mature and is turning into a young lady rather than the average teenager she hinted at being at the beginning of the novel. ( LINK TO QUESTION )
Imagery – Identity – imagery is a strong technique in Melina Marchetta’s “Looking For Alibrandi” as it allows Josie to see...

...In the book “The Memory Keeper's Daughter” by Kim Edwards a doctor and his wife have twins and the first child is a healthy boy but then the second child that comes out is a little girl with the signs of down syndrome and he asks his Nurse to take the baby away to an institution while he tells his wife the baby girl died. Through out the entire book it is a struggle for Dr. Henry's wife Norah to have closure with the fact that her baby girl is said to be dead and she never saw her, held her, or cared for her. Kim Edwards shows through the whole book that we are only human, the themes that life is beyond our control and through the connection between suffering and joy.
Edwards uses plot to set up a sort of life schedule. It goes in order into the future but occasionally skips years ahead. She also cleverly sets the book up so that each year, or “chapter” has both sides of the story, that of Caroline who is raising Phoebe and then the life of Norah and David raising their son Paul. As the book starts off it is that of a happy tone with Norah giving birth and then leading to a depressing and melancholy tone as Dr. Henry lies to his wife telling her that their daughter has died, to save her from the pain of their daughter having down syndrome. Norah gains more and more depression as the years go on, always wondering “what if”. With all the depression going on in the story line of Norah there is a gain of strength in...

...Josephine Alibrandi, a Catholic girl, narrates the novel in her final year of High school. She attends St Martha's, a wealthy catholic school in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Her academic scholarship ensures her place at the school as she is not as well off as the population of largely wealthy Anglo-Celtic girls that attend the school. Her Italian origin has been the reason for much persecution toward her in her life. Her background against the moneyed origins of her peers also provides much source of angst for Josie.
She lives in the inner-city suburb of Glebe with her single mother, who takes care of her. Their rather small dwelling is the source of some embarrassment for Josie.
Josie is essentially on a journey of discovery throughout the novel. This journey reveals much about herself, her family and the many lessons that she is yet to learn in her life. Her search for her own cultural identity is coupled with her struggle as a poor student among many wealthy ones.
Josephine also has a number of self-esteem issues that manifest themselves throughout the novel in her perceptions of the world. These issues are further complicated by her family situation. Issues that are dealt with include:
Role of The Family
Josie is searching to discover the true nature of her family history. She comes to learn that much of what she has been told in incorrect. A number of issues that both she and her mother deal with are explained by some of her family circumstances.
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...The period of Adolescence is a very important in forming one’s characters and has a great influence which may lead to take risks as one experiences something new. In “Looking for Alibrandi” by Melina Marchetta the protagonist, Josephine Alibrandi is experiencing the periods of adolescence, during this period she deals with the friendships and relationships between John Barton and Jacob Coote(Marchetta, 1992). There are many differences between John and Jacob, whilst the social classes; personality; perspective and change. However there are also some important similarities between the two boys including same generation, leadership and yearn between John Barton and Jacob Coote (Marchetta, 1992). Both Jacob and John have a great influence on the lead character Josephine Alibrandi. Furthermore both characters are outspoken. In contrast Jacob is prepared to face his challenges, Whilst John does not.
The characters of John Barton and Jacob Coote have several similarities. John and Jacob are in a same age group of same generation; both are high school year 12 students. They both have leadership in their school, one is the captain of cook high and one is the private college’s student leader (Marchetta, 1992). Their leadership attributes attract Josephine becoming a friend with them. Also John and Jacob have been experiencing the adolescence’s periods as well as Josephine. These two boys have self yearn and both of them...

...Essay 1 – ‘Looking for Alibrandi’
‘How are the differences between Australian and Italo-Australian culture displayed by Marchetta and what effects do they have on the protagonist Josie?”
Melina Marchetta’s cult text ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ looks at many issues of growing up in Australia torn between two cultures. The main protagonist Josie Alibrandi was born in Australia into a family with strong Italian cultural links and her battle to ‘find’ herself and her ethnicity is one that I will explore further.
Before exploring Josie’s ethnicity it is important to outline its meaning. Ethnicity-”A complex amalgam of language, religion, customs, symbols, literature, music, food and, as its core, an internal and external perception of difference. […] one’s sense of both belonging to a group and being ‘exclu[ded] from the national definition of a country’” (Kee, 1986:7 as cited in Gunew.1994 p 49).
Throughout the text there are many instances of Josie dealing with conflict between her Italian heritage, her Australian heritage and the mix of these two resulting in the Italo-Australian culture. Josie has two main role models in her life throughout the text that stand for different things. Her mother, Christina Alibrandi who was bought up in a strict Italian way and has many of the traits of a ‘good Italian’ girl is used by Marchetta to form a moderate or ‘mildly Italian’ character....